Final Post Number 6

Motivation, self-motivation that is, is the inner desire to succeed at any given task. Self motivation is what separates the leaders from the followers. This is because when a task gets hard or monotonous, someone keeps going and another takes a break or gives up, most people will look at the one who keeps going and understand they need that to lead them. Other can see a self driven push, and the work is not easy, so those who push are leaders, those who have self inner motivation are those who succeed in life.

"Abdul, thank you for your newsletters, and thank you for talking with us personally and sharing articles that you feel are important. My biggest problem is motivating myself when all of my team members have given up. I feel as if I am the only one who cares about the projects, and if I do not go as rapid as possible then we will all fail, if I slack off it is the whole group who fails, what techniques do you have?"

18-Israel 

I understand how you may feel at this moment. My first year in college I was not able to focus in groups because so many people did not care, I felt like a geek for caring, but then looked at my grades and realizes I do not deserve a low grade. In a team, the teacher will know who does the work, do your best and realize the team may not appreciate your input, but the professor will.

Article for the week! http://www.skillsyouneed.com/ps/self-motivation.html

Post 5

Relaxation is a technique that is incredibly difficult to master the busier life gets. The more leadership roles that a person receives in life, the more responsibilities they will have. these responsibilities bring in many more stresses. These stresses cause us to be less than perfect leaders over time because of the impact it has to their day to day life.

"Abdullah, I am dealing with a lot of stress right now, I am worrying so much about my classes next semester and how I will pay for the tuition for them. I am working two jobs this summer and they each are around six hours a day, so half the day I work. I am a leader, I work like one, I do not want stress to get to me, I feel like it is taking too long to get in the right groove."
-20 Junior

You will need to understand that this is a time you should look at to prove yourself. Working this hard right now is incredibly necessary. Having two jobs shows that a person can handle anything, and that they do not mind working and earning their wage. while other people your age are out there not working hard or being too lazy, you are out there, these skills show very well on a resume.

Article for this week: http://dailysignal.com/2015/04/20/fewer-americans-are-working-two-jobs/

Post 4

Boredom is the topic this week. I decided to do something much more interesting than usual because I myself have been faced with this issue. I know that when I have a project to do that I sometimes wait until it is too late, and because of that I feel like I am bored, when I am really procrastinating doing something. Personally when I have too many obligations, I go blank, and feel as if I cannot get anything done, boredom is a unique problem in the leadership role and something we should face.

"I have been dealing with boredom at my work for some time now. I do research and development for a small company in town, and when I am done with all the things I need in a day, I end up feeling bored after, I know I could get ahead but I want to keep my manager on a consistent schedule, what is my problem?"
-Ahmed 29

Boredom at work is a huge problem, because people who want to move up in their job do not have enough avenues to express it. Do work that the boss would not mind at all. Gathering leads is never against company policy, in jobs that are more creative it allows for time to think, and in those moments we have to make sure we are thinking and not just wasting time to clock out.

Article for the week : http://www.predictablesuccess.com/blog/boredom-the-leadership-killer/

Post 3

DISTRACTIONS! We all have them and so do I. In the summer time when everything is going great but there are still responsibilities I always have a hard time focusing. This time around I have been focusing on FOCUS! That is right focus, the one thing we all seem to have a hard time on. This time around I did not want to focus on a school driven story, but more on a story we can all relate to.

"Hello! This is my first time writing in and I wanted to make sure I have something good for you. I work at Convergy's and I am around people all day long. I feel very bad for trying to act like a manager when I am not, but when I see people on their phones during training I lose my mind! I do not understand why people are always on their phones now even at work! I said something to them but they looked at me as if i had no business, then the manager spoke and it was different. Why is it so hard for people on their phones?"
22 Argentina

Thank you so much for bringing this up. When we first enter the work force we may feel as if we should be acting perfectly and professional, when others are not it is frustrating. We should understand our roles as workers and listen to those above us. The reality is that our phones are not just a tool for entertainment, it is also what connects us with loved ones. I remember looking at my phone a lot one day, but my Grandmother was sick, and she was having surgery, so my mind would go to my phone all day even if there was no buzz. These situations are happening, so we have to let the managers make the decisions.

Article this week :http://www.forbes.com/sites/kevinkruse/2013/12/26/why-successful-people-never-bring-smartphones-into-meetings/#56de1a71a511

Post 2

Being a leader involves trust. Now that school is at its end, and some are gearing up for summer school, this time of year involves a lot more free time than usual. It is only fair that the questions that come at this time of the year involve trust and leadership. How can we develop trust in our relationship with others? The-mails that came in this week reflected on that concern.

"Hello Abdul, I am a Senior at SUU and my final year is this summer. I study engineering and have some final projects to get done in a team setting this year to graduate in the summer. I have been having a hard time communicating with my peers because of out language barrier. I am French and speak English alright, but it takes a while for me to communicate back, my partner is frustrated, which leads to issues, what can you suggest?"
32 Paris

I know barriers get in the way of team projects, and if the American were in Paris they would probably have the same issues as well trying to finish up a program in another country. Many friends of mine come later in life to America to finish their studies. It is hard to communicate in these circumstances because both of you want to be done, but are frustrated that you cannot communicate as perfectly as you need to for this assignments. I recommend planning everything a week in advance. Work on separate parts of the assignment, then trade at a point, and see if it works. You both seem smart, if communicating is the issue but you both are educated in this subject, the outcome will be good.

Recommended Reading: http://www.hcamag.com/hr-news/hr-not-considering-impact-of-language-barriers-128580.aspx

Post Number 1

The first two weeks have been very impactful. I have realized that since this is being done at the end of school, many of you have been dealing with a fear for a long time now, or have conquered it by now. This letter comes from A Sophomore Marketing Major

"It has been four months I have been at this school. Southern Utah is very fun for me but my friends and I feel like our views are so radicalized that people do not want to hear our opinion. In reality I have the same opinions as everyone in class, but I feel when I speak it people feel it is sarcasm. What can I do to not be scared to speak in class?"
-19 Jeddah

I understand this feeling, You are not alone in this, I myself am from the Middle East and people feel that I will always have somethign extream to say, that is not the case. I have solved this issue in my class life by being understanding of others and to speak with confidence. When adversity is faced against us, those who continue without confidence look scared, but those with their head high are going to be listened to. when you try it once, it will work from then on, speak with confidence your whole point and you will see good results.

Speakign up is a huge issue to be a leader. When we are being led yet others are against us that is when we see if we have confidence.

If you did not receive my e-mails, this is the link I have passed on this week.
http://college.usatoday.com/2013/04/25/3-steps-to-overcome-your-fear-of-class-participation/

Welcome everyone! About the Blog

My name is Abdul, with this link you now know about this blog I have been doing for my EDGE Project. What my project is, is a public blog, run by me based off of the following request:
Questions about concerns at Southern Utah University, Hard times in school, and overall feelings of pain that may come from being an international student. All questions will be answered on this page, I will respond to some personally, but for the EDGE project I am publicly showing some moments in our lives that may not be the best, so being anonymous is a promise I keep to all of those that send in e-mails.

This project will involve 6 selected issues from international students over the course of two months. Instead of posting them at the end of the project, I will post them as I go along with the project

 My email address for this blog is BuraieAbdullah@gmail.com.